In an interview with RMC, French football legend and 1998 World Cup winner Emmanuel Petit stated that Kylian Mbappé is an unfit captain, lacking leadership both on and off the field.
Petit used the French word “indigne” (unworthy) to express his opinion: “Football is like that, you’re good enough you win, you’re not good enough you go home, it’s as simple as that. France is not good enough. In my opinion, Mbappé is not a worthy captain. From the moment he took the armband, the signals he sent were not those of a good captain. He lacks leadership, and his comments about his teammates are also not good. When he says ‘I didn’t get good balls,’ ‘My team doesn’t have Pogba,’ ‘Griezmann isn’t a good European player’… how can a captain criticize his teammates? Is that what a leader does?”
Mbappé’s fans usually defend him with two arguments. The first is that he plays with a mask, which affects his performance. Petit dismissed this argument: “He’s not the first player to play with a mask, and he won’t be the last. Is there a need to make a fuss? He made all kinds of demands when he got the captain’s armband, but in my opinion, he has no leadership on or off the field. I’ve never seen him motivate his teammates.”
The second argument put forward by Mbappé’s supporters is that he has had problems in Paris over the past six months, which has had a significant impact on his form. Petit responded: “If he’s played every game with Paris Saint-Germain in the last six months, he’s had enough time to get ready physically. I remember his statement before the Euros was, ‘I’m more concerned about my mental state than my physical strength.’ But mentally he’s bad, physically he’s bad, he’s the captain, it’s a failure. In short, for me, he doesn’t deserve to be captain!”
Petit played for Monaco, Arsenal, Barcelona, and Chelsea during his career, and played 63 times for France in 13 years. He is a 1998 World Cup and 2000 European Championship winner, and scored in the 1998 World Cup final. He is a recognized legend in French football.
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